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U.S. Route 302
U.S. Route 302 or U.S. Highway 302 (US 302) is an east–west spur auxiliary U.S. Route of U.S. Route 2 in northern New England in the United States. It currently runs 171 miles (275 km) from Montpelier, Vermont, beginning at US 2, to Portland, Maine, at Interstate 295 / U.S. Route 1, and Maine State Route 100. It passes through the states of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Route description Vermont US 302 begins at a roundabout intersection of US 2 in the southeastern edge of Montpelier, the state capital of Vermont. Next it heads south to Berlin, then Barre where it runs along the Jail Branch River and the Stevens Branch of the Winooski River. In Barre, US 302 makes up Washington Street and North Main Street. US 302 heads to East Barre. In East Barre, its intersection with Vermont Route 110 makes a form of a roundabout. After traveling down out of the hills surrounding the city of Barre, US 302 then winds through the rural towns of Orange, Groton, and South Ryegate. The next major intersection for US 302 is its interchange with Interstate 91 in Newbury, about 2.7 miles (4.3 km) from the US 5 intersection. Then at the village of Wells River, US 302 crosses the Connecticut River after entering New Hampshire. US 302 is named William Scott Memorial Highway and was part of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway in Vermont. New Hampshire US 302 enters the state of New Hampshire at a two-lane arch bridge over the Connecticut River beginning from Wells River, Vermont. It follows Central Street on a two-lane alignment, passing through Woodsville until it reaches NH 10 (Dartmouth College Highway), where it turns eastward. US 302 follows the Ammonoosuc River through a mix of fields and forested land, passing through Bath as Lisbon Road and Lisbon as North Main Street. As it approaches Littleton, the road's name changes to Meadow Street and becomes a shopping strip just before crossing the river and interchanging with I-93. After a short stretch, the road meets Main Street (NH 18) at a skewed intersection, defaulting onto Main Street and passing through the town's downtown. The route intersects Union Street (NH 116) and turns southward onto Cottage Street, immediately bridging the Ammonoosuc River once again, and passes through a residential area before turning eastward onto Bethlehem Road. The route passes under Interstate 93 again and passes through woodland, where it crosses I-93 for a third time at a second interchange, where NH 18 and NH 116 also depart to the south. US 302 then travels eastward through the largely forested land, passing through Bethlehem and Twin Mountain (where it crosses U.S. Route 3), then turns southward as it passes through Crawford Notch State Park, bearing Crawford Notch Road as its name and paralleling the Saco River. After turning eastward again, passing through Bartlett and intersecting NH 16, the road becomes White Mountain Road and turns southward once more, passing through Lower Bartlett and entering North Conway. The route follows Eastman Road south of North Conway, which it follows to its end at NH 113 (Main Street) after bridging the Saco River once again. US 302 turns east, passing through more forested land as it crosses the Maine state border, bound for Fryeburg a short stretch east of there. Maine US 302 is known as the Roosevelt Trail through southern Maine because it was the beginning of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway, which runs east to Portland, Maine and all the way to Portland, Oregon. It is a two-lane highway for almost all of its length, but there are multi-lane sections within the Portland area, as well as short four-lane sections in and around North Windham (especially the commercial areas). Some of the hilly sections also feature a third passing lane. The highway enters Maine at Fryeburg, in the Saco River valley as it leaves the White Mountains. The road bridges the Saco near milepost 56 in eastern Fryeburg, Moose Pond near milepost 46 in Bridgton, Long Lake near milepost 31 in Naples, and the Crooked River in Casco near a boyhood home of Nathaniel Hawthorne. The highway passes the north end of Jordan Bay on Sebago Lake in the town of Raymond, and crosses the Pleasant River at milepost 13.4 in Windham before intersecting at a large roundabout with US 202. US 302 bridges the Presumpscot River from Westbrook before meeting with Interstate 95 but no interchange, then it heads east into Portland at Riverton, then reaches its eastern terminus at I-295/US 1 at the south end of Back Cove west of downtown Portland, continuing east as Maine State Route 100. History The eastern end of US 302 was formerly at Longfellow Square in Portland, Maine. The highway follows a 19th-century stagecoach road from Portland through Windham to Bridgton. The portion from Windham to Bridgton was built about 1785. Stagecoach service began in 1803, and the route became a post road for the United States Postal Service in 1814. Transportation over this route was augmented by the Cumberland and Oxford Canal from 1832 to 1932, and by the Bridgton and Saco River Railroad from 1883 to 1941. The highway through Crawford Notch follows the Tenth New Hampshire Turnpike built in 1803 and parallels the Maine Central Railroad Mountain Division built in 1877. The highway eliminated railway passenger travel over the route from Portland by 1958, and railroad freight service through Crawford Notch was discontinued in 1983. New England Route 18 From 1922 until 1935, much of what is now US 302 was a part of the New England road marking system, designated as Route 18, from Portland, Maine, northwest to Littleton, New Hampshire, roughly 112 miles (180 km). From Littleton west to Montpelier in Vermont, US 302 and Route 18 took different paths. NE-18 took a more northerly route, along present-day New Hampshire Route 18 and Vermont Route 18 to St. Johnsbury, Vermont (closely paralleling I-93), then along present-day US 2 up to Montpelier. Current US 302 runs along a more southerly route using other former sections of New England Interstate Routes. From Littleton, it went along former Route 10 to Woodsville, New Hampshire, then along former Route 25 to Montpelier. The entire Maine segment of US 302 was formerly designated State Route 18, a route that was established in 1926 until being deleted in 1935 by US 302. Major intersections See also Special route * U.S. Route 302 Business, a loop connecting US 302 to Lower Bartlett. It is locally known as the Intervale Resort Loop and is signed only as New Hampshire Route 16A. Related state highways * New Hampshire Route 18 * Vermont Route 18 * Maine State Route 18 Other adjacent highways * Interstate 89 * Interstate 91 * Interstate 93 * Interstate 95 in Maine * Interstate 295 (Maine) * U.S. Route 1 in Maine * U.S. Route 2 in Vermont * U.S. Route 3 * U.S. Route 5 * U.S. Route 201 * U.S. Route 202 Category:U.S. Route 302 Category:United States Numbered Highways Category:Highways and roads Category:Auxiliary U.S. Highways Category:U.S. Highways in Vermont Category:U.S. Highways in New Hampshire Category:U.S. Highways in Maine Category:U.S. Route 2 Category:Highways numbered 302